What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

319 views
► Suggest books for me > Retellings of classics (or books in the same vein) but with female main character(s)

Comments Showing 1-19 of 19 (19 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Jade (new)

Jade | 266 comments Looking for Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, The Secret History and The Great Gatsby inspired stories in particular, but other classics are okay as well. Could either be a direct retelling, but with a female main cast, or just plots or characters that strongly remind you of a certain classic.

Can think of As I Descended for Macbeth, Tell Me My Name for The Great Gatsby, The Lake of Dead Languages is a bit like The Secret History vibe-wise, but not exactly a retelling, and Beauty Queens has the group of young people stranded on an island...

Not retellings of fairytales and myths here, please.


message 2: by Aleksander (last edited Jun 23, 2023 10:55AM) (new)

Aleksander | 129 comments Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix is a Treasure Island remix

Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix is a Robin Hood remix

both The Chosen and the Beautiful and Beautiful Little Fools are supposedly feminist Great Gatsby retellings


message 3: by Jade (last edited Mar 07, 2024 10:31AM) (new)

Jade | 266 comments Bad Girls Never Say Die - The Outsiders.


message 4: by Latte (new)

Latte Hawthorne | 18 comments The Boy Next Story is partially inspired by The Great Gatsby.


message 5: by Rainbowheart (new)

Rainbowheart | 28813 comments Bad Girls and Lost Girls have all-female groups stranded on an island.


message 6: by Gillian (new)

Gillian | 343 comments I think Beauty Queens by Libba Bray is inspired by LotF but is more comedic and upbeat.


message 7: by Laray (new)

Laray | 46 comments King Arthur and Her Knights by KM Shea.


message 10: by Pamela (new)

Pamela Love | 1515 comments Savages by Shirley Conran is somewhat like an all-female Lord of the Flies.


message 11: by Deniseey (new)

Deniseey | 88 comments Queen Bee Described as "Count of Monte Cristo meets Bridgerton "
Pride and Premeditation (part of a series of other Austen retellings as mysteries)
Lord of the Fly Fest Described as "One of Us Is Lying meets Lord of the Flies meets Fyre Fest"
The Initial Insult - inspired by The Cask of Amontillado


message 12: by Cheryl A (new)

Cheryl A | 77 comments A few years ago, there were two projects to rewrite the Austen classics and some of Shakespeare's works. For the Austen project:
Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid. Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope, Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld and Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith (the weakest of the bunch). The other project is the Hogarths Shakespeare, but it tends to follow the traditional gender identities of the characters. Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler was pretty good.


message 14: by Becca (new)

Becca (beccalikesbooks) | 5596 comments Great by Sara Benincasa is a gender-flipped retelling of The Great Gatsby, if you wanted another of those.

Becoming Dinah by Kit de Waal is inspired by Moby-Dick but with a female lead.


message 17: by Joanna G (new)

Joanna G (joanna_g) | 6 comments Two options:

A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself intersects with Treasure Island, with Hannah disguising herself as a cabin boy.

The Chosen and the Beautiful is a retelling of The Great Gatsby with a focus on Jordan Baker.


message 19: by Adray (new)

Adray Omanceray | 6 comments Emerald Circus

They are children's retellings but very metered/lyrical and the heroines change things up


back to top